Help me out with an idea.

[Mr.Coneman]

So it's just an idea at the minute, and I certaintly don't have the spare cash even if I do decide to go ahead with the idea just yet, but...

I'm thinking of adding a vibrato unit to my Les Paul, originally I was thinking Bigsby, because that is of course what most people would think of for a Les Paul, but I know they're kind of limited in what they can do, you get your basic vibrato bar function, but none of the Satriani and Van Halen style craziness, which is what is inspiring me to do this!

So I guess I have two options...I can get a whole new guitar, with like a Floyd Rose or whatever for that, and leave my Paul intact, but what else would be applicable to my Les Paul, which would be able to handle the Van Halen style whammy stuff?....

And is there any of them that don't require routing the guitars body? I definitely don't want to start cutting chunks out of my guitar.

Good idea? Or go for a new guitar?

[Copperhead]

New guitar.

If you could find a guitar tech that could do a clean Floyd install on an LP, you would have an amazing instrument. The expense to do this properly to an LP would be more than what you could buy a decent Floyd or Licensed bridge equipped guitar for, new or used.

[Jonny]

Is this an Epiphone Les Paul? Or a Gibson? Like a really expensive guitar. I would avoid the Bigsby then.

I would get a reliable 90s Ibanez.

But imo, Bigsbys on Les Pauls are AWESOME, even if it isn't good for crazy whammy.

[Philly Q]

There's the Stetsbar:

http://stetsbar.com/

I don't know if it has quite the range of a Floyd or similar, but certainly more than a Bigsby.

[Will]

Is this your 3 pup epi?
Personally I would consider a Kahler on there, but it does require some top routing for the springs and a behind the nut stringlock

[Mr.Coneman]

Yes, Will, it's for the 3 pup Epi. Two things inspired this idea really, my next purchase idea musically, was always going to be a whammy bar capable guitar, because ...well I'm a lead guitar player, and theres a few songs my band have written that I think some 80's style soloing with whammy action would fit quite well!

And then this http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/6/9/2/395692.jpg

It just looks amazing on that guitar like that. Howeverrr, I've posted this up on a few boards, and the general consensus is to go with my original idea and just get a new guitar when I get around to it.

The only thing is...I'm not a huge fan of Ibanez or Jackson thinner necks, I love the feel of Les Pauls, but they just arent designed for the Floyds and everything, so I was hoping for a best of both worlds.

This will take alot of time to think!

[morgasm]

if only the les paul access was cheaper lol

[SchonFan83]

I, too, enjoy a Les Paul with a wiggle stick.  To me a Bigsby is useless for anything more than subtle vibrato.  And it sounds like you want a tremolo you can actually use.

The biggest issue with a floyd on a Les Paul (even if you CAN find a tech willing to do it and who is able to do it right) is that its just not a good guitar design for it.  The top carve and neck angle make the floyd hang out into space.  It can work but it's risky...you may end up putting a huge hole in your baby and have it sound terrible.

The LP Axcess has a different neck angle and allows for a better positioned and functioning tremolo.

I would go with a Kahler Hybrid...much less wood has to be removed (only a little chunk under the unit has to go away) and it works much better on LP-style guitars.

I have an older Les Paul STD with a Kahler on it and it works just fine

[sgmypod]

Stretsbar looks good

[WezV]

+1 on the stetsbar

[blue]

i have a stetsbar on an epiphone Les Paul, and i've tried the Duesenberg Les Trem as well.  the Les Trem has a more Bigsby like range, so it's not what you're after, but the stetsbar is very good.  it does both up and down bends.  it doesn't have quite the range of a Floyd Rose, and the guitar has to be carefully set up to avoid tuning issues, but it'll get you 70% of the way to a Floyd without having to make any alterations to your guitar.  and if you don't like it, you can sell it for probably pretty much what you pay for it.  oh, it's also more stable than a floyd as regards palm muting and things like double stop bends, and the new ones can be locked to upbend only in case you break a string.

Epiphone also did a Les Paul Gothic with a Floyd Rose, which might be good for you if you can find one on ebay.  probably not cost much more than the stetsbar! :)

[Ratrod]

A Floyd Rose on a Les Paul is just wrong.

[blue]

it may be wrong Ratrod, but i lust after one of those axcess Les Pauls! :)

[Antag]

A Floyd Rose on a Les Paul is just wrong.

I thought the ones Alex Lifeson played on Rush's last tour looked pretty good (of course, the rather wonderful sound he was getting out of them had a lot to do with it... :))

[Antag]

FWIW, the Kahler suggestion is probably a very good one.  The LP design allows you to get a good angle behind the rollers (which you need to do otherwise the tone seems to really suffer).

You might even be lucky to find a secondhand guitar with one  - a fair number of LPs had Kahlers fitted in the early/mid '80s...